


Headline News

by The_Alias (Artemis_Day)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020, Darcy Lewis Is a Good Bro, Everyone ships Bucky/Jane, F/M, Gossip, M/M, Marvel Fluff Bingo 2020, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, News Media, Protective Bucky Barnes, background Steve/Sam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:22:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25418398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Day/pseuds/The_Alias
Summary: Exclusive: Bucky Barnes and Jane Foster a couple??? Find out more inside!
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Jane Foster
Comments: 12
Kudos: 49
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020, Marvel Fluff Bingo





	Headline News

**Author's Note:**

> Written for:
> 
> Marvel Fluff Bingo Square N5: Mistaken for a Couple  
> Bucky Barnes Bingo Square C3: Free Space
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

It began with a tumblr post.

_ What’s your favorite Avengers ship? Mine is Thortasha. They are soo cute! _

The responses were typical.

_ Stony for me! They are the best. <3 _

_ Wait a minute, people ship Thor and Black Widow? _

_ OMG I thought I was the only one who shipped Thor and Black Widow! _

_ I like Sam and Steve. Is there a ship name for them yet? _

_ How about Falconshield? Or Shieldwing? _

_ CapFalcon? _

_ Ugh, who likes Stony anymore? Stucky is where it’s at. _

_ I like Stony and so do all my friends. Die mad about it. _

_ Guys, come on, this isn’t the place for a ship war. _

It wasn’t until the post had accrued several hundred notes that someone dropped the bomb.

_ Does anyone else think the Winter Soldier is dating Jane Foster? _

Such an innocuous comment would set off a firestorm.

_ Jane Foster? The one who dated Thor? No way. _

_ She’s more than just Thor’s ex-girlfriend you know. _

_ No one said she wasn’t. Geez… _

_ Why would anyone think they’re dating? _

_ Weren’t they just on the news because they were spotted at a club? _

_ They went to a club together last week. _

_ There are reports that they were making out behind the club. (link) _

_ See for yourself. (link) _

_ Ugh she is not good enough for him. She doesn’t even do anything. _

_ Hey, fuck off. Let’s see you create interstellar travel all by yourself in the desert. _

_ Who are you, her mom? _

“Fucking internet,” Darcy slammed her laptop shut. “I am so done with this shit.”

“I told you to stop searching my name, didn’t I?” Jane said as she poured herself a glass of coke. 

“Not my fault tumblr is full of assholes who think you stole Thor away from Loki or whatever.”

Jane rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to let petty gossip bother me. They can think what they want, it’s no skin off my nose.”

“You sure about that?” Darcy asked. “Because you never told me you were at a club with Barnes.”

“We ran into each other. Talked for a bit and then went home.”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

Darcy hummed. Checking her phone, there were already a hundred more notes on that post. “I believe you, don’t get me wrong, but don’t be surprised if no one else does.”

“I’ll manage,” Jane said, laying down on the couch to rest. “By next week, no one will even remember this.”

**

By next week, it was in all the tabloids.

_ Love In The Air For The Soldier? _

_ Jane Foster Spotted With Bucky Barnes Again! Sparks New Relationship Rumors! _

_ Thor Moving On With Black Widow?? _

_ The Soldier And The Scientist: Are They Really Dating? ALSO: Exclusive Interview with Former Tower Employee: The Truth Behind Cap And Ironman’s Secret Bond. _

“Fuck, this is annoying.” Bucky crumpled up the gossip rag that had somehow ended up in his mail this morning and tossed it into the fire.

“I know,” Sam grumbled. “When are they going to drop this Steve and Tony shit? Every other news source has been reporting on Pepper’s pregnancy for weeks. You’d think they’d take the hint.”

“Just wait until we go public,” Steve said, kissing Sam’s cheek. “That’ll knock their socks off.”

“First of all, get a room,” Bucky said. “Second, I was talking about this whole thing with me and Dr. Foster. Do people really think we’re a couple?”

Sam’s brow furrowed. “You mean you’re not?”

Bucky groaned and sunk into the couch. A mess of magazines was spread out on the coffee table. None of them bore his face or any speculations about his love life. He swiped them to the floor anyway. “Whatever happened to privacy? Minding your own business about other people’s lives.”

“You say that like people ever did that to begin with,” said Sam. “Look, if you and Jane really don’t have a thing, then eventually they’ll run out of material and move onto something else. It’s not like you spend a lot of time with her.”

“That’s the problem,” Bucky said, “I’m supposed to be her bodyguard at her next big speaking event. It’s in three days. Tons of reporters will be there.”

“They could find a way to twist any interaction with her to fit their narrative,” Steve muttered thoughtfully.

“Thanks, Steve, I really needed that spelled out for me.” Sliding onto his back, Bucky pressed his hands into his eyes. “It’s not that I don’t like Jane, but the last thing she needs right now is pointless internet drama. She should be recognized for her work, not for who she dates.”

“Welcome to the world of celebrity gossip,” Sam quipped.

“Thanks, I hate it.”

“We all do, pal. We all do.”

Staring at the ceiling, Bucky filled his mind with the layout of the conference hall and all the blindspots a potential assassin could take advantage of. How to set up countermeasures. It kept the thought of his and Jane’s faces photoshopped together at bay. More importantly, it kept him from remembering that night at the club, when he had walked her home and listened to her lay out her entire life’s work with so much passion and enthusiasm that maybe he did fall in love with her a tiny little bit.

“I have to be on my best behavior this time,” he told himself. “No slip-ups, no compliments, just strict professionalism. This has to blow over eventually.”

**

The headlines went wild following Jane’s event.

_ Soldier And Science Saga Continues With Night On The Town! _

_ Barnes and Foster Attend Scientific Conference Together _

_ Bucky Barnes Seen Defending Jane Foster At Conference Afterparty! _

The tumblr comments were even worse.

_ OMG I totally ship Bucky and Jane now! Did you guys see that he fought off some drunk guy for her??? _

_ Did he really? Source please!! _

_ (link) It wasn’t like a physical fight I don’t think. He just told the guy to fuck off. _

_ I still think it’s just tabloid shit. _

_ I don’t know, seems pretty legit to me. _

_ Gotta admit, while part of me still hopes Bucky’ll walk into the sunset with Captain America, Jane Foster’s not a terrible choice either. _

_ Anyone notice how Jane is really tiny and likes to fight stronger people for what she believes in? Kind of reminds me of someone… _

_ Holy shit projection!!!!! _

_ Jane’s not a discount Steve, you know. You guys need to learn some respect. _

_ Ugh, you again? Why are you always showing up on every other post about Jane? No one was even insulting her! _

_ Call it a preemptive strike. I need to know whose asses I’m tasering this week. _

_ Thortasha 5ever!!!!! :D :D OTP! _

**

It was all over the news because even with all the other problems in the world, the most pressing matter that the public needed to know about was whether or not two people were dating. When they cut to a reporter interviewing a ‘body language expert’ about what Bucky holding Jane’s arm as he led her away from the cameras really meant, it was time to turn the TV off. Otherwise, he’d have to explain to the hotel staff why there was a fist-sized hole in it.

“This sucks,” he said, throwing the remote away.

“Agreed,” said Jane from her bed. “I knew I should’ve played sick.”

“Since when do you play sick?”

“Since tonight. Or I would’ve if I were smarter.”

Bucky grinned. “You’re the smartest person I know. They’re just assholes looking for drama.”

“Well, they found it,” Jane said. Sitting up, she caught sight of his face and frowned. “Look, I’m not mad. You were just doing your job, and it’s not like you actually punched that guy.”

“I would’ve,” Bucky mumbled. He still remembered that sudden rush of emotion as he pulled the handsy idiot away from Jane. It was what he’d been hired to do. No personal feelings involved except for when they were. “Would’ve taken his head off.”

“But you didn’t,” Jane said, moving off her bed to sit with him, “and while I’m glad it didn’t come to that, it’s nice knowing that you’d be there to protect me. Makes me feel safe.”

Safe. When was the last time anyone felt safe around him? Even now, years after his conditioning was removed and he’d gone back to something resembling a normal life, people still got antsy whenever he got too close. Hands instinctively went for their guns when he walked through the door. If someone spoke a word of Russian, the whole room grew tense.

But not Jane Foster. 

Never Jane Foster…

“You know, I really hate this modern media shit,” he said. “Used to be you could just see a girl, ask her out, go on a nice dinner date and no one ever gave you a second glance. Now it’s like the whole world needs to be in on it.”

“That’s the information age for you,” Jane said. “For better or worse, it’s the world we live in.”

“Do we have to, though?” He scooted closer to her. “What if one day, we put the phones and the cameras away and just took a nice long walk down an old country road. Nothing but the breeze to keep us company.”

“Sounds poetic,” Jane said, and Bucky’s chest swelled as she moved further in. “And very nice.”

“Yeah, it does,” Bucky said.

“It really does…”

They were inches apart. Her head tilted up so that he only had to lean in, and then-

The door slammed open. A rumble of thunder outside preceded Thor and Natasha stumbling into the room. Thor’s shirt was partly unbuttoned and Natasha’s dress was sliding down. They devoured each other’s faces before Natasha finally opened her eyes to their gawking audience.

“Oh shit,” she gasped, pushing Thor off her. They fought a losing battle against their own limbs, until they gave up and Thor all but carried her back into the hall.

“Forgive us, my friends, we thought this was our room,” he said.

The door closed behind them. Their voices lingered as Bucky shook his head.

“Okay,  _ there’s _ one for the papers,” he said.

Jane giggled, and as lovely a sound as it was, Bucky would listen to it later. For now, he’d pick up where they left off.


End file.
